Southern Fried Hanyou
by Hedgehogmadhatter
Summary: Kagome has moved to Charleston South Carolina. On her 30th birthday she receives the Tetsusaiga as a gift & the shock of a lifetime. THIS IS HOW IT WILL END, WITH INUYASHA'S CHOICE.
1. One

_Southern Fried Hanyou….an Inuyasha fanfic tale._

_This story is complete so read on without fear!_

Summary: Kagome has grown up, moved on and receives a mysterious gift in

the mail from her deceased fiancé. This is my version of how the whole story will end with Inuyasha's choice.

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Inuyasha, please don't sue because all I own is one grumpy hedgehog.

* * *

_One_

Kagome clenched her teeth and ordered, "Osuwari!"

The man beside her lifted his head from his magazine in surprise.

She glanced around and saw the whole waiting room watching her.

_Damn it!_, she cursed silently. Her order garnered the attention of everyone but the furry individual it was intended for.

She gave the leash a hard yank and hissed loudly in English.

"I told you to SIT!" Her golden retriever Kiki heaved a great sigh of resignation and threw herself to the green title floor. She was usually well behaved and obedient but once she crossed the threshold of the vet's office all bets were off. Kagome leaned back in the tiny uncomfortable chair. For now she had won the battle. The next one would no doubt take place when the receptionist called them back to the examination room.

_Uk. What a waste of a perfectly good Saturday afternoon…_But Kiki was due the last of her shots and today was the only day Kagome had free. She crossed her legs at her ankles and stared out the window hoping Kiki would ignore the cat in the carrier an old woman just hauled into the tiny waiting room.

_When did my life become so mundane?_ It seemed only a short while ago her life was so full. The days flew by and she never had the time for boredom. They spent all summer on the digs and their winters in the warehouses opening boxes always searching for lost pieces of historical treasure. Now her life was grading papers and inhaling chalk dust. _It's my own fault, _she chided herself. _I choose to stay here._

"Kagome and Kikyo Higurashi, room five is ready for you." The sound of her name snapped Kagome out of her thoughts. After five years she still winced at the American way of reversing her proper name. She stood and Kiki whined.

Kagome tugged on Kiki's lead. "Come!"

The dog's liquid golden eyes pleaded with her.

"Not today sister. Now heel!" The dog reluctantly stood and was half walked and half dragged down the hall to room five.

* * *

Kagome fished her wallet from her purse in search of her visa check card with one hand and held Kiki's taunt leash in the other. The receptionist stood and held the leash while Kagome signed the credit slip. She made conversation in a killer nasal Jersey accent.

"She's a beautiful dog. I always loved Golden retrievers. They have the biggest hearts. And what an unusual name Kikyo. It must be Japanese like you, huh?"

Kagome smiled. "Ah yes, it is. But it doesn't suit her. I changed it to Kiki."

"What a shame but then ya gotta do what ya gotta do, right? Would you like me to update her name in her records?"

"Please. I would appreciate it."

* * *

Kagome brought the Jeep Cherokee to a stop in her small driveway and Kiki's ears perked up at the sight of their house. Kagome climbed out and Kiki bounded out behind her. She loved the gas guzzling SUV but it had outlived its purpose. She no longer needed its room or four wheel drive. It was so hard to let go of the past. _I really should just trade it in and get it over with. It would do wonders for my insurance and gas budget. _

She opened her mail box and pulled out a card. She smiled. _Even though he was swamped in his first year of med school he still remembered my birthday._ The card's envelope was covered in Souta's tiny school room grade English print. She ripped the envelope open and removed a card. The front was a picture of them back when she was still in junior high. Souta was sticking his tongue out at her and she was shaking her fist at him. She opened it and read in Japanese script:

_Even though I got all the brains and looks in this family, you still have my heart. Happy 30th sis! I will see you Christmas, so start shopping for me now cause I am bringing an extra empty suitcase for all of your gifts! Love, Souta._

Kagome blinked away a tear. It was 99 degrees in the South Carolina sun and December seemed so far away. It was good of Souta to come. He did not want her to spend another Christmas alone on the other side of the world. She gathered the rest of the mail, all junk, and plucked the Saturday edition of the Charleston Post and Carrier from the newspaper box.

"Kiki! Here girl." The dog bounded across the yard at her name. Her tail wagged and its furry fringes waved behind her like a flag. Kagome tossed her the paper and Kiki diligently carried it to the door. _It's a damned shame the dog couldn't reach the box_, thought Kagome for the hundredth time.

She entered her kitchen and was greeted by the site of numerous empty Chinese food take out containers. Kagome pulled the trash can up to the counter and with one sweep of her arm knocked them into the can. _The dishes are done!_

_Now what?_ The voices of her colleagues filled her ears. Her assistant professor Kim Hampton:

"Kagome, you shouldn't stay cooped up in that old house all the time. Come out with us Saturday. We'll teach you how to Shag. It'll be fun."

"No I have too much work. Another time maybe, thanks."

Darryl Taylor who also taught history:

"It isn't healthy to lock yourself away. Come to my wife's dinner party, she's serving shrimp and grits. She has a nice single friend who attending she'd like you to meet."

"Thanks but I'm just not ready."

She was alone but it was by choice. She just wasn't ready to deal with dating or socializing or leaving the house for that matter. Wasn't that why she had left DC? So she moved here and started working in the College of Charleston's history department. Just to get away from it all? The work, the pressure and the memories. She'd given up her first love, archaeology in the hopes it would be easier than continuing their work by herself.

_Archaeology my first love, who am I kidding? My first love was Inuyasha. Hojo was next then Archaeology._ She reached down and patted Kiki's head. "Girl if you stopped misbehaving you could still be my fourth love."

Kiki huffed and gave her an odd look before trotting off into the den. Kagome pulled out a chair from the table and sat down. She slid out a stack of badly written essay exams. She was uncapping her red ink pen in anticipation when she noticed her answering machine message light was blinking.

_Damn, probably another telemarketer, or worse a desperate student._ She reached over the tests and pressed the tiny button. Japanese spoken in an elderly man's voice filled the kitchen.

"Dr. Higurashi Kagome-san, this is Nagasaki Matso. I sent you a package on the order of Hojo-san. He wanted it to be a surprise but the package is too valuable for me to risk blindly mailing it to you. Please call me upon receipt. Also accept my deepest condolences. He was an asset to the archeological world and a good man."

Beep. "Next message."

"Ms. Higurashi, this is UPS. We have a highly insured package and would like you to notify us with a delivery time. Or you may sign for it and pick it up at our Meeting Street location. We are open until three. Thank you."

Kagome blinked. _What the hell? A package, no a surprise from Hojo? How? __He died last year. He must have arranged this before the cancer hospice. Or maybe after, he was always so clever._

She was overcome with hot tears and wiped them away with a rough kitchen towel. Her eyes found the clock on the stove. Its red light assured her it was only 2:30. She still had time if she hurried.


	2. Two

Two

It took all of her strength and will power to wait until she got home before tearing into the crate. And it was indeed a heavy eight foot long wooden crate. It was something out of movie with its rough pinewood and foreign postage stamps. Kagome ran her hand across the top with the intent to pull it apart only to be rewarded with a sharp jagged splinter. She raced to her bathroom and pulled out the splinter.

She returned to the crate wearing gloves and brandishing a crowbar. Carefully she pried off the lid. The nails made a horrible squeaking noise as they were freed from the wood. She performed the same task all the way down the length of the crate. Finally the lid was off and she was free to plunder the crates contents. The packing material was wooden shavings. Odd, it was packaged like an old artifact. On top of the shavings sat a note in Japanese script.

_I gave your fiancé, my word that even if it took me a decade I would find this for you. It is his gift to you. With it comes his love and his wish for your happiness._

Kagome dropped the note. Hojo had refused to marry her once his diagnosis was terminal. It still pained her to be referred to as his fiancé. _But it changes nothing. So I am not a widow. I am still here without you. Oh Hojo… _

She sat back on her heels gazing at the open crate before her. She already knew what was inside.

It was Hojo who discovered the obscure reference.

He was so excited. He biked to her apartment three in the morning with the book under his arm. Kagome left the feudal era when she was seventeen but was still obsessed by it. Hojo never questioned her. He assumed it was her duty to feel this way. After all she was responsible for the Higurashi family shrine.

The book mentioned a sword forged from the fang of a powerful yokai (demon). That same sword now bound the angry son of the original dog yokai.

"Kagome! It's that sword you told me about, the Tetsusaiga! It just has to be. Look here. It even calls him by name Dog-Yokai."

Kagome spent every day since that moment searching for the Tetsusaiga. She felt she owed it to Inuyasha to give it a good home. Also she NEEDED it.

Needed to touch it and feel its weight. It was physical proof of her junior high quest and of her first love. Very soon after that Hojo became her second and only love. She abandoned the quest for the sword once Hojo fell ill.

_Now he is gone. But he did it. He found the damned sword. Once again here we are. But I am a different woman now. _She shook her head. This wasn't the Bone Eaters well. She would not fall in. It was just another artifact an expensive antique. Not unlike the ones she and Hojo had handled during their stint at the Smithsonian. Except this was part of her personal history too.

Her love life was a shambles. She smirked at the thought. Every man she loved had left her, except for Souta. Souta was fighting death and loss in his own way by becoming a heart surgeon. First she lost her father when she was five, then grandpa when she was seventeen but he was elderly so maybe it was wrong to count him. Inuyasha turned her away. And Hojo…

Her mind spun back to Inuyasha. That wound was older and scarred over and as a result was slightly less painful.

* * *

Their tiny band still hadn't killed Naraku but that was only a minor inconvenience. Earlier that day Inuyasha tricked Naraku and managed to steal the newly fully formed Shikon jewel from him. Naraku was gravely wounded by a direct hit of Kagome's sacred arrow and he retreated. However this time they were able to follow him and locate his castle. They planned to attack him at his weakest point before dawn and victory seemed so certain. Ironically his hidden castle was a not a castle at all but a shrine not far from the cave where Kikyo had nursed Onigumo's broken human body.

Inuyasha asked Kagome to meet him at moonrise by the Bone Eaters well. Her heart quickened and she agreed.

When she found him, he had his back to her and was looking into the depths of the well, his hair brushing against the cold stone.

"Inuyasha?"

He turned. "Kagome."

When he did not come to her, she walked slowly to the well.

He avoided her eyes.

"Kagome our quest…it's over."

She laughed. "No silly. Tomorrow we will crush Naraku, then it's over and we party!"

"Feh. We have the Shikon Jewel, now go home." This was said softly though she could tell he originally meant to shout it. Picking a fight with her would have made it easier but he hadn't been able to quite do it. Instead he looked down and his silver bangs fell over his face hiding his expression.

"Now?" She was incredulous.

"Yeah now!" This he did shout.

"But Naraku…?"

"Will be defeated without you."

"How can you be so sure? He's come back before. This isn't the first time I've hit him with an arrow."

Inuyasha looked up and caught her eye before glancing away at the moon.

"This ain't the same. You're different. This arrow took."

She winced. "It's Kikyo isn't it!"

He frowned. "No."

"Lair!" She pushed him away. "It's always been Kikyo!"

He caught her hand carefully in his.

"No." he spat. "Kaede help me see. At first I wanted you both. Then I just wanted one of you. But now, now I know."

"What?"

"Kikyo is dead. She was reborn out of hate and was only half a soul."

Kagome's heart filled with dread. "Oh Inuyasha…"

"Don't" He dropped her hand. "Now that she's gone you are restored to your full power. THAT'S why we could never win. But this time you were a full priestess when you shot Naraku. I should've figured this out before, but Kaede showed me."

"She's gone?"

"Yeah." He looked away. "I fucking killed her. Kaede is burning her remains along the jewel tonight before Naraku has a chance of getting it back."

"Oh" Kagome clasped her hands before her and dropped her head unable to imagine how Inuyasha forced himself to bring down the priestess. She put her hand to her chest.

"Wait. Does this mean? The jewel is inside me again?"

"Probably, but you can handle it. You handled it just fine before you ever met me."

"Whoa. That's allot to take in. But… what about…us? Don't you care for me?" She sought his eyes but he was looking down at the grass.

"It doesn't matter. Go home! Do your…homework. Go see that…boy who gives you stuff!"

Her voice caught in her throat. "Why?"

"Because you don't belong here. You belong in your own time. Not here. Besides the jewel would never give you a chance at a real life here. It's too dangerous." He coughed then growled low and ground his teeth.

"Kaede told you this?" Tears streamed freely down her face.

"She told me how to win. How to protect you!"

"What about my heart? Don't you care about that?"

He growled. "I am not in the business of protecting your heart."

Then Inuyasha did something Kagome still did not fully understand. He grasped her by the shoulders and pulled her to his chest. His clawed hand lifted her chin and he kissed her. It was simple, chaste but heartfelt. Then he took advantage of her stunned silence to gracefully but quickly toss her down the Bone Eaters well. He called after her. "Miroku has sealed the well. Ya ain't ever getting through again".

She screamed the whole way down the well and again every time she threw herself back down it in vain trying to get back. But it was pointless.

Inuyasha had won. After that all she had were her history books and the archaeology.

At first she was angry at him. Then she was desperate but soon she was just sad. Then she found Hojo. Not that he hadn't always been there, but this time she gave him a real chance.

Now it was just Kagome the 30 year old version and an old sword. _Well, here goes._ She braced herself and reached into the crate.

Her fingers plunged into the pine packing. For a few minutes she thought the crate must be empty but then she felt something. She must have been talking aloud to her self because Kiki came up behind her and was caught in a shower of the pine shavings.

She lifted the sword from the crate. It was wrapped carefully in a rough sheet of red fire rat hair, not unlike _his_ kimono. She pulled the sheet free and saw the sword wrapped in a layer of sheer silk. Concerned for the Tetsusaiga's condition she laid it carefully on the carpet. The silk was translucent and she was able to see most of the four foot sword. It was broken, dirty and scratched beyond belief. _Did it always look this bad? Of course, it only came to life in his hands. _

Well its poor condition was good luck for her. Had it not been damaged than there was no doubt it would be safely squirreled away in some private collection somewhere. _Wait!_ Kagome squinted at the swords scabbard. There was an inscription. This was new. It wasn't there before.

She held the pen light on her keychain over it and read.

_To this sword the Tetsusaiga, is bound its master an angry Inu-yokai. Beware all who would seek to rouse him._

"Inuyasha!" His name tumbled from her lips. She hadn't spoken it aloud in years. Once Souta had mocked the way Inuyasha and Kagome constantly called out each others name. He did a whole dramatic scene where he only said the words Inuyasha and Kagome. At the time she was humiliated and angry. Now she saw how insightful and witty the scene had been.

She quickly dropped the Tetsusaiga. It was clearly under some kind of spell. She'd known the sword was bound to Inuyasha. Hojo had even said so. But she assumed by bound it meant it helped him control his yokai blood. Now she was reading the actual inscription she realized it was literal. He had been put into the sword.

_Wow!_ There were simply no words.

Kagome believed in magic. She'd seen more than her fair share of it on both sides of the old Bone Eaters well. It was a very real possibility that Inuyasha was in the sword. Hojo words came back to her, "Look here. It even calls him by name, Dog-Yokai."

_Inuyasha or Dog-demon. _

_But surely that isn't what your mother called you from birth? I wonder what his real name is. After all isn't Inu-Yasha more of a title or description than a name?_

Kagome was at a loss for words or thoughts. To believe that _he_ was in this sword was too much to be true. Her head cleared when Kiki came up and sniffed the sword. Then she dropped her head and growling bared her teeth.

_Something is in there. Kiki can tell. Dogs always hated him. Maybe he is in there? One thing was for sure, it would take more than his name to rouse him. _Kagome had been muttering the whole time aloud and he'd yet to make an appearance. She thought for a moment. _The inscription had described him as angry not evil surely that alone was significant? But if so, why was he still angry? Because he'd given up his one chance to be a full yokai? Or maybe because he'd lost Kikyo again or maybe he had an ingrown toenail? _The hell if she knew. _One thing is for sure, this calls for a good stiff drink! Now I must get out of this house._

Kagome stood, stretched and ran a brush through her hair before grabbing the house keys and hitting the street. _Now is not the time to make a rash decision._

* * *

She decided to take a long walk and ended up at Poogan's Porch, her favorite restaurant. She seated herself at the bar with an order of grilled shrimp and a mug of good draft beer. Poogan's was famous for their ghost Zoë who could be seen at night in the upstairs window. While Kagome had never seen Zoë it seemed appropriate to think things over in the presence of another dead woman.

She munched a biscuit and watched the tourists as she thought. Well wasn't she not much more than a tourist herself? She was still in the US as only a resident. But she'd lived in Charleston over a year and was adapt at spotting tourists.

She watched a family with sullen teenagers and was struck by a realization. _How old was Inuyasha when he was bound to the sword?_ What if she released him and he was a kid? She was thirty but when she left she was seventeen. He was twenty in appearance and behavior. Now he should be thirty three but maybe in the sword he was still twenty.

What would she do with a twenty year old kid? Or even eighteen. It was never certain how old in human years he really was. If he hadn't aged at all she would be stuck with her own personal demonic version of Peter Pan.

She rubbed her temples and tried to remember if Peter loved Wendy. Wendy loved Peter. Kagome had a vague recollection of the play. In the end Peter comes for Wendy and she is an old woman with a granddaughter. Wendy tells Peter if he is to give the girl Myra a kiss it should be a real kiss not a button or toy. Is that what she would have, a boy trading buttons as kisses? Or in Inuyasha's case, rescues and insults.

What if she brought him out and he was fully yokai. He could devour her, Kiki and then her neighbors! Then what if he wasn't too young or evil but upset that he was so far from Japan? Charleston South Carolina was beautiful but not like anything he was used to. Maybe she should put the sword back in the crate and put it safely away in her attic.

_Do I want this because of Hojo's death? It would be wrong to bring Inuyasha out when I didn't even know what I wanted of him?_

"Miss?" A deep southern drawl broke into her thoughts.

Kagome opened her eyes and saw a white haired man in khakis and a collared shirt before her.

"Are ya all right?"

She laughed. "Oh yes, thanks for asking."

"That's good. I am deeply sorry to disturb ya but it is closing time. Would ya like me to call ya a cab miss?"

She glanced at the clock on the wall and saw it was ten o'clock.

"No that won't be necessary I walked here and will just walk back home." She hopped off the stool and strolled down the hallway.

"Have a good night." He tipped his hat and held open the door.

"You too." He shut the door behind her and she was alone on an expansive porch with chairs and massive hurricane shutters. She walked down the steps and paused to salute the statue of Poogan the dog that sat on his grave before exiting the yard through the tiny gate. She paused on Queen Street to admire the over grown palmetto palm trees and dramatic Spanish moss. _So different form the cherry blossom trees back home. Could he be happy here too?_

* * *


	3. Three

Three

Kagome walked home and poured her self a glass of Yadkin Valley's best red wine. She sat on the floor contemplating the sword. _Fuck it! What the hell. Isn't that what Inuyasha would say._

_ Let's do it! I will sooner or later anyway. Might as well be now._

_Hmmm. How do I release him? _

That was the question of the hour. She grasped the sword and called. "Inuyasha! This is your Kagome! I order you to my side."

Nothing. She wasn't surprised. Following orders or instructions had never been his forte.

_Okay, what next girlie? Well just for kicks…_

"Sit!"

Kiki whined and fell to the floor in a disgusted pile of fur. Then she audibly sighed, "Humph".

Kagome was gone a bit from the wine and she laughed. "Don't like it either do ya girl? He really hated it." She stood with the broken sword in her hands.

"Watch this Kiki! Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!" She howled and waved the sword about her den before remembering that was a power Inuyasha possessed, not the sword.

"Whoops! That wasn't it. How about this? Backlash!"

She spun around and fell over on to the soft plush carpet.

"That wasn't right either. Hmmm…." In her hazy alcohol induced cloud Kagome was careless and she cut the palm of her hand on the end of Tetsusaiga's rough blade.

"Shit! Blood. Kiki where do I keep the Band-Aids?" Kagome stood and stumbled up the stairs to her master bedroom. She stood in the bathroom and ran cold water over her hand. Then she dried it and wrapped a bandage around her palm. _Tomorrow I am going to feel so stupid._

And that was when she heard it.

The soft noise of a foot step on her stairway. Ever since she was forced to live alone she was careful to note every little noise. Just in case. This one was human. Or at least human sized. She shook her head to clear it. What had she just read in the Charleston Post and Carrier? A man was breaking into the homes of single women and raping them? Yeah, that was it.

_Where was Kiki when you need her? Hmph. That was easy. She was either helping her new friend steal me blind or was cowering in the corner somewhere._ Golden Retrievers were simply the WORST guard dogs.

Kagome reached behind her door for the baseball bat she kept handy. She'd wanted a gun but remembered something Hojo had told her. "Women with guns are more often over powered and killed with their own weapon than not."

She griped the bat so tightly her knuckles turned white. She listened with all her might. The footsteps stopped. She quietly entered her bedroom but it was empty. _Okay good. It's all clear in here._ She wiped the sweat from her brow and turned to face her bedroom door.

The door was clear. She proceeded with caution to the door way and peered out.

The hall was empty as well.

But she spied a tall shadow on the stairs. Whoever it was probably thought they were hiding but she knew the stairway well enough to recognize what didn't belong. It looked as if the intruder had the Tetsusaiga. Kagome smirked. The joke was on him. That broken sword was no match for her wooden bat.

She backed into her bedroom and slunk along the wall until she felt the door to the old servant's stairway. She quietly opened the door and slid silently down the stairs to the kitchen. She was wearing socks without shoes and this was to her benefit as she padded across the tiled kitchen floor. She peered out the kitchen door and slipped into the den, stealthily slipping up on her intruder from behind.

She was in the den and had her back to the wall and crept up on the front staircase. She saw the man's shadow and knew he had not moved. She took one more step and he was in plain view.

Kagome's breath stopped. She dropped the bat onto the newly refinished wood floor and fell to her knees. The man with his back to her was wearing a red kimono made from the fur of a fire rat.

Her head spun. She should have known her blood would be the key. _It's always about the blood isn't it? I can only pray I did not make an egregious mistake. _With that, she fell face first to the floor and Kagome lost herself in a temporary void of blackness.

* * *

"Witch! How dare you imprison me in my own Tetsusaiga?"

_Oh, my skull will never be the same. I really should give up alcohol all together._

_  
Wait. Tetsusaiga?_

_ It's really him and he's really pissed. Well no big surprise there. He was pissed the last time I freed him by pulling the arrow loose that held him to that damned tree._

Kagome heard the sound of his bare feet against the wood floor as he approached her. _Good. I must have only been out a moment. I'd hate for Inuyasha to see me faint. I'd never hear the end of it._ Damn her! She was reacting as if she'd seen him only yesterday. _Girl, get a grip!_ She scolded herself.

She could almost hear him sniffing the air. He knew something wasn't normal. Then it happened. What she had spent the last thirteen years waiting to hear.

"Kagome? Is that you?"

His feet stopped right before her nose and she was happy to note they were a bit fuzzier than the last time she'd seen him. _Maybe he'd been older than twenty when he was sealed into his own sword. _She drank more than she had first realized and the fall to the floor hadn't helped.

She moaned slightly and started to push herself up from the floor. But Kagome needn't have bothered. He was right there and rolled her over onto her back.

She gazed up at him and squinted in the light trying to get a good look at him. The face that swam above hers was not bearded but it was not that of a youth either. She remembered Sesshoumaru and realized he never seemed to have any beard or stubble either. _Maybe yokai don't have to shave?_

"Inuyasha?" She whispered.

"Kagome!" He pulled her to him and hugged her against his chest. She sat limply in his embrace.

"Hojo…" She said.

"What?" He asked without bothering to move her.

"Hojo found you. He brought you to me."

He stiffened. "Kagome, is Hojo here?"

She sniffed. "No, he's dead."

Then all her worst nightmares came true and she broke down into a sobbing mess. He held her in blessed silence while she cried.

* * *

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	4. Four

Four

Kagome wasn't sure how much time passed. _He must have so many questions yet here he is just holding me, being with me. Giving without question or complaint. _

Her tears subsided and she became aware of his prayer beads pressed against her cheek. _He never removed them and he hated them so much._ She fought for composure and pulled away to study him.

Inuyasha's face was more defined than she remembered. The roundness of his features had diminished. He was no longer a boy. A scar cut across his eyebrow and from a distance it would appear as if he had pierced it. His hair was still silver and flowed freely down his back. His golden eyes glowed and his pupils were the same black slits. Unconsciously Kagome ran her fingers through his hair over his head. Her fingers found his still furry ears and she smoothed her palms over them. He sat completely still even though he had to be burning with protest and outrage.

_Still a hanyou_ (half demon)_? He had the stupid jewel the last time I saw him, what did he use it for?_

"Ahmen," he cleared his throat giving her a subtle hint. _When did he learn restraint? Her Inuyasha would have howled and slapped her hands away._

"It's really you." She whispered.

"Yeah, that's what they keep telling me." He muttered.

"How… how did you get into the sword?"

His voice swelled with pride. "Sesshoumaru. When he realized he'd never defeat me he got Jaken to do the next best thing."

Kagome sighed and closed her eyes before she could roll them. "Still fighting Sesshoumaru? Some things never change."

"Yeah, well when I get back," he gave a wicked vulpine grin, "he's in for a nasty surprise."

"Back? Inuyasha, there is no back."

"Kagome?"

"You are not out of your time. I found the Tetsusaiga here in my era and released you. This is your era too now. There is no going back. Even the well, it's still sealed."

He sat back on his haunches in stunned silence and Kagome recognized a bit of the lost youth she'd known thirteen years ago.

"Maybe now isn't a good time to discuss that. Tell me about your life. How long has it been since you tossed me back down the well?"

Inuyasha closed his eyes but answered so quickly it was obvious he knew the answer without even thinking.

"Thirty years", he whispered.

"Thirty years? But you aren't much older than I am!"

He opened one eye to glare at her. "I'm only half human. Remember?"

"Why is that? I always assumed you made good on your dream to become a full yokai."

He sighed. "I nearly did."

"Kaede? Did she stop you?"

"No I never tried. As a human I was too weak and defenseless. As a yokai I could never trust myself not to hurt….you. So I stayed like this."

"But you knew I was leaving. Hell you even kicked me out." Kagome tried to keep an even tone. _It happened so long ago why does it still piss me off?_

He gave a half grin exposing the tip of his left fang. "Yeah but ya always find a way back don't ya?"

Kagome gave him a light punch on the shoulder. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and huffed. "Keh to you too!"

Kiki decided now was an opportune time to leave her safe hiding spot in the kitchen and investigate the strange house guest. She bolted into the den then dropped down on her belly and growled. Inuyasha snorted.

"Nice dog ya got there. What's her name?"

Kagome grabbed the dog by her collar and ordered her to relax. "Shh it's okay girl."

She turned to Inuyasha. "This is Kiki."

"Kiki hmmm?" He lifted a dark brow. "That sounds an awful lot like Kikyo. You didn't?"

Kagome was outraged. "Of course not! I'll have you know Kiki is a very popular American name!"

"American." He sounded the word out thoughtfully. "That's the country across the ocean. I remember your school books…"

Icy dread crept up Kagome's spine. "America."

He smiled, "That's right America."

"Umm about that…" _Damn! I've reverted back to my teenage self. _She cleared her throat and started again.

"Inuyasha, we aren't in Tokyo. Hojo and I moved here to America five years ago."

"Oh" was his only reply.

_Inuyasha, your whole world has been turned upside down. Did I make the right decision? How will I ever know?_

His next question surprised her. "Were you married?"

"What?"

"Hojo? Was he your husband?" he was looking at Kiki and avoiding her gaze.

"No. He became ill after our engagement. Then he called off the wedding."

Inuyasha smiled softly. "And I suppose you fought him about it."

"Yes." It was her turn to look away.

"Stupid Kagome, why do you always fight those who only wish to protect you? He knew you needed more than he could give. Why didn't you accept it?" Inuyasha was surprisingly insightful. _How come I never noticed?_

"I wanted to help him" she muttered.

"He probably wanted to know you'd be okay."

She sniffed. "Probably."

"So are ya?"

"Am I what Inuyasha?"

"Are ya okay?"

"I guess so. There is no Naraku or Mistress Centipede here so yes I am okay."

"Good." He jumped to his feet.

_Wow, I'd forgotten how fast he is._

"Cause I'm hungry! What do ya have to eat around here?" he headed to the kitchen with a cowed Kiki following in his wake.

As she watched him Kagome was struck. _I hope he eats less than he used to. I don't know if I can afford to feed him!_

In the seconds it took Kagome to reach the kitchen Inuyasha flew through all of her cabinets and the fridge and was utterly disgusted by their lack of contents. She found him chewing on a straw as he sniffed a Chinese take out menu.

"Mmmm, order several dozen of whatever this came in!"

Kagome laughed. _It's been thirty years since he's seen modern times but he's never forgotten the concept of take out._

She strolled up to him and snatched away the menu. He growled playfully and she held it out of his reach and he jumped at it. Kagome was over come with an irresistible urge."Osuwari!" She said crisply.

Kiki's furry butt hit the kitchen floor but Inuyasha remained on his feet. He gave her a burning look of triumph.

"Keh! I fixed that a LONG time ago." He glanced down a Kiki and snorted. "Stupid mutt."

"How did you do that?"

"Kaede" he answered and left it at that. He tossed her an unopened box of loose green tea leaves. "This was all I found."

Kagome filled her beloved cast iron tea kettle with cool water and set it on the stove. She procured a block of cheese left over from some gift basket someone sent her weeks ago and a few crackers. She arranged them on a plate and was not surprised when Inuyasha ate them without complaint.

Kagome poured the tea into a matching set of Scooby Doo mugs and sat across from Inuyasha. He drank his tea while keeping an eye on her. She glanced at the stove clock and saw it was 2:55am. _My God I will never make it tomorrow without sleep. I wish I had never had those last glasses of wine. Shit. Shit. Shit._

"Inuyasha."

He looked up and was for once silent.

"You had the Jewel of Four Souls. What did you wish for?" _I know him too well to think he just gave it away._

He traced the out line of Shaggy's head with his claw. "Sango lost more than anyone so I decided to free Kohaku. I didn't want to risk having Naraku killing him before we got there."

_There are no words. My heart is breaking all over again. Sango. It was the perfect gift for a tragic heroine._

Kagome felt tears prick her eyes and blinked them away.

"Was Kohaku…was he okay?"

"Physically he was back to normal but he was never right. Sango cried."

They sat in silence while she reflected on the gravity of his decision and how much it must've meant to Sango.

"Naraku?"

His face lit up with a chilling grin. "Dead, I scattered his remains all over the countryside. Just in case. Miroku helped us purify what was left."

"Miroku and Sango?"

"They parted friends but she went moved to distant village of Youkai slayers. He went back to his Buddhist shrine. Things were boring for a long while after they left."

Kagome smiled. "You never were one to lie around. Always something going on."

"Hmph, you can say that again."

"Tell me Inuyasha, what did you do for all those years beside fight Sesshoumaru?"

He frowned. "I fought."

"Fought who?"

"After we killed Naraku other yokai assumed I kept the jewel and his powers for myself and they came for me, one at a time."

"Oh" _It was so sad. Even after it was over he still wasn't free._

"Even when it became known I did not have the jewel they still wanted to challenge me. It only lasted fifteen years or so. After that the yokai became rare and rarer."

"I'm so sorry Inuyasha." _I always thought after the Jewel was destroyed all of our lives would be perfect. I was a fool._

Her apology offended him. He cut in. "No. It was my choice and I stand by what I did."

Thoughtlessly she put her head in her hands. _I got my wish but what do we do now? One day at time, that is the only way._

"I'm sorry the kitchen is empty, I haven't felt like cooking or eating for that matter in awhile. Tomorrow morning we will go grocery shopping."

"Shopping" This brought a fast smile. "I haven't forgotten about the Ramen."

"I haven't either."

"Do they have them in here in America?"

"Oh yes and now in even more flavors."

* * *

Kagome settled Inuyasha in the guest room and stumbled her way to her own bed. She glanced at her laptop as she climbed into bed. _He is very clever. How can I help him acclimate faster? The language barrier will be a blessing until he is more comfortable here but it really isn't fair to him…_

She pulled up the computer and ordered a set of Japanese to English language tapes. It wasn't quite the same as his medieval Japanese but it would do. She would cherish the time she had before the tapes arrived. It might be the last peace she would have for a bit. Somehow that didn't bother her at all.

* * *


	5. Five

Five

Kagome awoke and was grateful to find her head was a bit fuzzy but clear. She'd slept deeply and was almost refreshed. She lost Hojo more than a year ago but she still slept on her side of the bed facing the wall. At first this position allowed her a few moments of blissful forgetting. She could pretend the other side of the bed wasn't empty. Now she was firmly grounded in the fact he was gone but at this point the habit was ingrained.

She slid from her cool sheets and padded barefoot to the bathroom. The tiny room was warm from the sun. She paused over the A/C vent and bathed in a refreshing stream of cool air.

_Thank God for air conditioning! They never had that in Feudal Japan. _

_Japan... Inuyasha! He's really here._

She quickly brushed her teeth and ran a brush through her hair. _He's seen me at my morning worst so to hell with makeup!_

Kagome pulled on the same pair of jeans from the night before. Then she remembered Inuyasha's sense of smell and decided to don fresh jeans and a cool, crisp white sleeveless shirt. She paused by the bed and saw the comforter on Hojo's side held the impression of a human rear end.

She glanced up and saw her bedroom door standing open. There was no sign of Kiki but then why would there be. Dogs always avoided Inuyasha or followed him from a safe distance. She ran her hand down the bedding and knew he'd perched there and watched her while she slept. _I should have known he'd do this. He used to stand sentry over us while we slept. It was silly to think he could have needed sleep after he spent 500 years in that sword._

Kagome peered into the kitchen and found it empty. _Where in the hell has he gone?_ She'd been through every room in the house and it could only mean one thing. _The roof!_

She opened the French doors in the back of the kitchen and stepped out into the back yard. _Not one leaf out of place._ She sighed, retrieved a ladder from the storage shed and propped it against the back of the house. Kagome climbed up and looked out on the roof. Inuyasha perched on the highest point of the roof looking down on the neighborhood. He was stripped down to his linen shirt because of the heat.

"Bare legs and now bare arms. Kagome, why is it some part of you always has to be naked?" He spoke without turning towards her and she knew he'd been watching her haul the heavy ladder across the yard to the house. She ignored his tone and the baited comment.

"Good morning to you too. Aren't you worried someone might notice you up here?" She shimmied across the roof and sat beside him.

"No."

"Okay."

"Your people are weird. They wave at me as if we know each other. Look!" He pointed to a woman jogging past. She looked up and waved a friendly hand. _I wonder what she thinks we are doing up here?_

"Inuyasha she is being polite. Here it's considered rude if you don't waive or acknowledge your neighbors."

"It's an invitation for trouble". He grumbled.

Kagome put her hand under his chin and turned his face towards her.

"Why are you so grouchy? I thought you'd be happy to be freed from the Tetsusaiga?" _Who did you leave behind Inuyasha? A wife? Children?_

"This place is so foreign. Even the trees here aren't right. I turned on your television and it was gibberish." Kagome dropped her hand from his face but he didn't turn away.

"I can teach you English just as you taught me archery."

He gestured to the ghost moon that ever so faintly hovered in the bright blue morning sky. "Even the moon is not where it should be."

"We are on the other side of the world so that is why the moon is in a different spot. Those are palm trees, we are near the ocean."

"Kagome of course I can smell the ocean. But what is there to do here?"

"I guess you will have to find a new purpose. There isn't a battle here or a quest. Just … life."

He gave a half grin and flashed his right fang. "Life huh? But what is life with out a good battle?"

_That was a rhetorical but what will I do with him? I've brought a warrior into a world where people jog on treadmills for exercise!_

"I guess it's up to me to show you then." She smiled back.

"Is that a challenge skinny wench?"

"Bet your life on it you furry perv." That got her a full grin.

Kagome stood up and stretched. "Let's go to the ocean, it's the perfect place to spend a Sunday morning."

"Feh. Breakfast first. No wonder you are a stick. Your pantry is bare and you never fucking eat anything. What is wrong with you Kagome?"

She opened her mouth to ask him to back off the profanity when he swept her into his arms then leapt from the roof to the backyard. Her hair flew up around her face and she closed her eyes. _It's almost as good as having my own set of wings._ Inuyasha landed softy like a cat. Than he sat her down and went back into the house without her.

Kagome was breathless, than she remembered the ladder. _Of course he would leave before I could ask him to put it away!_

* * *

When she was young Kagome never imagined she'd have to bathe her husband. But it came to that all too quickly with Hojo, who would never be her husband. At first she made a sexy game of it than gave up as his body shut down.

Now she stood with her back to her bathroom door trying hard not to react to the sound of water sloshing over the rim of her overflowing bathtub. She managed to talk Inuyasha into letting her launder his kimono but he'd insisted on drawing his own bath. He was a grown hanyou and had his dignity.

_Any minute now water will seep out from under this damned door. What the hell is he doing in there? Swimming? _She placated her fears by shoving towels under the door and went to wash the kimono.

It was a flashback to the two years they'd spent together in her teens. Every time she went home she insisted on washing his robes. The first time she worried she might shrink them or fade the vivid red color. Later she was only concerned with getting the blood out.

Kagome turned the washer to large load, cold water and tossed in the heavy kimono. She kept his linen under garments separate. Kiki wandered up to her and whined.

"Smitten aren't ya girl" She asked in Japanese.

The dog cocked her golden head giving Kagome a questioning look.

"Don't be too hard on yourself. It happens to the best of us." She bent down and scratched between Kiki's ears. "Come on its breakfast time."

Kiki understood the word for breakfast whether it was spoken in English or Japanese. She did her best excited happy dance while wagging her tail and clicking her nails against the floor tiles.

* * *


	6. Six

Six

Kagome originally intended to shop at Wallmart. However when she pulled up in the crowded parking lot it was obviously a bad idea.

Inuyasha was calm and quiet but it seemed unfair to expose him to a mob. He was dressed in jeans and an old Guns N' Roses tee-shirt of Hojo's. He wore a beach bum kaki hat over his ears and his hair was tied back. There was no disguising his teeth, claws or eyes but she decided to let it go. After all she'd seen stranger fully human people at Wallmart many times before.

He sat in silence as she pulled out of the parking lot and drove fifteen minutes to a tiny Piggly Wiggly on Johns Island. The store was older, the staff more polite and it wasn't as crowded.

Inuyasha had been to stores before but not one like this. He laughed at the name which didn't translate into Japanese all that well.

They made it into the store and through the automatic doors without incident. Inuyasha was intrigued by them but he worked to maintain an air of disinterest. His eyes rounded at the sight of the aisles and seemingly endless rows of food.

_I'd forgotten. He's known hunger. The store must be overwhelming. It's much bigger than the tiny corner market we visited back home._

They ran into a colleague of Kagome's by the paper towels. She introduced Inuyasha by name to Jack Cagle who immediately offered his hand. Kagome explained the language barrier.

_I hate this! Jack thinks he is slow or stupid because most Japanese people speak at least some English. _

Inuyasha cleverly hid his claws by clasping his hands behind his back and giving a polite bow. Charmed Jack responded in kind.

"What a gracious guest you have Kagome. Are you related?"

_That's Southern for, are ya living in sin with this ignorant stranger? Keh! There is no peace here. Monday everyone will think he is the reason I stay home every weekend…._

She blushed. …_and now they would be right._

"Oh no Jack, Inuyasha is an old friend from a remote providence of Japan. We spent summers together when we were children."

"Inuyasha, hmmm. Is he named for the Japanese medieval folk hero? I've had the privilege of sitting in on some of your lectures and the tales of Inuyasha who seeks the Shikon no Tama are wonderful. "

_Ah so my Japanese history class is quite the attraction. Inuyasha is so pissed that we are talking about him and the Shikon no Tama. Lucky for Jack the Tetsusaiga is home on my dining room table. _

Jack leaned in and put his hand on Kagome's bare arm. She saw Inuyasha frown and rock back on his heels.

_Thirteen years or thirty years but he is still jealous._

"Flattery will get you nowhere Jack. In this case though his name is mere coincidence. It's a family name." She smiled down at the short man.

"Yes but its funny because I was so intrigued by your lecture I did a little research on my own and learned the tale mentions a girl Kagome. I know ya'll were hounded about that back home in Japan!"

_What? Is he really smart or just really dense?_

Kagome humored him with polite laughter. "Yes we get that allot. He is really sick of it so I'd appreciate it you kept that to yourself."

"But of course!"

"It was lovely seeing you but we have a lot of shopping left. See ya Monday!" Kagome looped her arm through Inuyasha's and gave Jack a quick wave before zipping away to the next aisle.

"Keh, what an ass."

Inuyasha's tone said it all, Kagome answered without even glancing up. "Yes but you handled him really well. Charleston isn't as big as Tokyo and we will often run into people I know."

He paused to sniff a box of gelatin powder. "This box reeks of bone marrow…what is this stuff?" He peered down at the strange English writing and threw down the box in disgust.

"Damn it Kagome! I can't live here like this. No one speaks our language and the writing is fucked up." He flattened his ears and his hat fell down on his forehead.

Kagome bent down to retrieve the box and was reminded of the times she'd done the very same thing thirteen years ago in a very short skirt "I know you are upset. I am sorry I brought you here... but Inuyasha I couldn't leave you in the Tetsusaiga. There is no way back else I would gladly help you leave."

She reached out to him and righted his hat on his head concealing his ears. Inuyasha put his hand on her arm to stop her from taking her hand back "No. I... It's good to see you."

Kagome smiled. _Inuyasha the man, thank you for that white lie. But you can't hide your pain from me._

"I have ordered you something that will teach you English. I don't know how long we will be here and it will make things easier."

He straightened his spine and glared down at the offensive gelatin desert box. "I've slain a dragon. I defeated Naraku. I've been banished twice and always come back. This will a piece of cake!"

"Good. Now we are almost to the ramen noodle aisle…"

His face lit up and he left her standing alone by the shopping cart. No doubt he would find his beloved noodles by scent alone and alarm some old woman in the process. Kagome held the gelatin box and studied its silly English name and the picture of an ice cream dish piled high with unnatural wobbly green Jell-o cubes.

_Inuyasha. How many times will I give you my heart? I am so stupid. We have nothing in common and things are just as they were. _

_Even so he didn't deserve to stay in that sword forever. But what if that is his fate? To be bound to a sacred object, but I keep running defense against fate and this is my punishment, reaping what I've sown. To love what I shouldn't and to be where I'm not wanted. Can he forgive me for interfering? Until yesterday he knew nothing of his separation from his time or loved ones. Today he is awake and vulnerable to pain._

"Lady! What's your damage? Move your cart! Some of us are trying to shop here!" Her head jerked up.

A large bald man with a boisterous New York accent loomed over her. She pushed her cart away and ignored him. She heard an elderly woman hiss under her breath as she passed. "He's not just visiting…Damned Yankee."

* * *

Inuyasha found Kagome by the meat counter; his arms piled high with Ramen noodle containers of all shapes and sizes. He unceremoniously dropped them into the cart. She heard his stomach give an audible growl.

"Inuyasha man cannot live on Ramen alone. I am getting us some steaks and fish too."

He nodded and plucked a bag of fresh vegetables from the cart and gave them a suspicious sniff.

"I don't recognize half of these but they smell okay."

"I found a daikon for you." She handed him what looked like a giant white radish. He examined it then tossed it back into the cart.

"Everything here is so big."

"Heh-heh, it's the miracle of modern farming."

"If you say so…"

Kagome spotted the New Yorker and saw he was waiting behind them in line for the butcher. _Wonderful._

Inuyasha dug through the cart and pulled out the items Kagome found in the International food aisle. He was older than some of the food but still recognized the writing and was scrutinizing each box. She smiled at the sight of his happy face. "See, that's Miso soup, it's like ramen without the noodles, and rice noodles, sushi rice…"

"Hey lady! Don't you EVER pay attention? The goddamned line is moving without you!" _I don't have to look up to know who said that._

Kagome saw Inuyasha's ears move under the hat. He turned slowly to face the man and answered him in English with a strong New York accent. "Hey buddy ya got a problem with that?"

Kagome nearly fell over. _How in the hell?_

Inuyasha gave the man a full on hanyou grin bearing every sharp tooth in his head. The man ducked his head and glanced away. _That's the last we will hear from him._

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked in fast Japanese. "How did you do that?"

A slow smug smile lit his face. "I saw him in the noodle aisle and heard him say the same thing to someone smaller than him. So I figured it would work on him."

_Hmm? Maybe there is a place for Inuyasha in my world after all._

* * *

Inuyasha carried in the groceries while Kagome started cooking. He was strong enough to carry everything in a single trip and when he was done he put on the kettle to heat water for his ramen. He slurped a cup of noodles while Kagome prepared a real meal of salad and sea scallops. She watched him devour the noodles and knew he'd have no trouble with a salad, an entrée and no doubt a generous helping of dessert.

Kagome set the table and put out her wine glasses. They were an early wedding gift from Hojo. Until today she'd kept them put away in the box they came in. Now it seemed silly to never use them.

Inuyasha sniffed her glass of wine and she wasn't surprised when he found a cold bottle of beer more to his liking. They sat over an American meal of salad and grilled scallops eating with chop sticks as Inuyasha had scoffed at the forks.

_Well his manners haven't improved, that's for sure._ At this thought she saw him glance up and for a brief moment seem embarrassed. Then he was thoughtful.

"Kagome, what do you doing here by yourself?"

"I teach history at a local college."

"Japanese history?"

She looked down at her wine glass. "Yes."

"The Cagle man at the Pig store, he'd heard of me. Do you talk about us and the quest?"

Unexplainable embarrassment burned her face. "Yes but I am really continuing Miroku's work. He made detailed scrolls describing our journey. They are obscure but very good."

"Hojo found my Tetsusaiga for you?"

She nodded.

"You never really left us did you Kagome?"

"No. But how could I? I knew no other girls who have traveled through time. It was an extraordinary life changing event."

He snorted. "You should be married with brats."

"I almost was but it wasn't meant to be." She paused. "I've released you from the sacred tree and now the sword. I wonder what that means?"

He laughed. "That you are too nosy for your own damned good."

"Who did you leave behind this time Inuyasha?" She tried to hide how much his answer would mean to her.

"Graves and a bitchy half brother," he muttered.

"Weren't you ever married? Any children?"

"No. I am a half breed. Sesshoumaru forbid it. That's why we fought but even once I defeated him it would have been difficult."

"I'm sorry…"

Inuyasha stood from his chair and leaned across the small kitchen table.

"No Kagome!" he ordered.

"What!" she spat back.

"You want what you shouldn't."

She leapt to her feet and railed back at him just as she had as a girl. "Why? This is a second chance. A new beginning!"

"I've already seen enough of your world to know babies with sharp teeth or dog ears aren't normal. All of my beginnings ended the day Kikyo pinned me to the tree with her sacred arrow."

"And what will become of you? Kikyo is gone. I am her reincarnation but just that. Not her. You want me to put you back in the sword so some other woman will find you?

Kagome didn't wait for his answer. "My blood brought you forth. Think about that! So in the future who is to say it won't keep happening again and again. Except next time it will be my reincarnation, another woman who isn't me but is! Maybe our souls will keep finding each other and you will always push me away."

This was the part where she would turn run and jump back down the well and hide out in her modern home. But this time there was no well or hiding place. Kagome stood her ground.

He glared at her. "That changes nothing."

"Really? So what do I do with you then? Tell me Inuyasha. What do you want?" She sat back down and drained her wine glass.

His clawed hand snatched the glass away from her. "I want you to have a clear head."

"Go to hell."

"I see. You would hide me here in your world. What am I then, a pet?"

She smiled wickedly. "Bad dog."

He bit back a growl and sighed. "Kagome, does the jewel exist here?"

She looked up at him incredulously. "It has always been about the Shikon no Tama."

"Yeah it has."

"Well I don't have it."

"Yes you do."

"So what? You just told me you don't fit in here and now you want to use the jewel to do what? Become full yokai? We are running in circles."

He said nothing so she filled in her own blanks. "You want me to send you back to the time you were sealed into the sword. I guess we can try."

He stepped up beside her and squatted down to rest on his haunches. "No. I don't want to go back. Everyone is gone. It was violent and dark. Graves and war. I don't miss them."

"What then?"

"I'd like to become human."

She was speechless then skeptical. "Why?"

"As a human I can die a mortal death and never be sealed away again."

She felt the edges of her heart begin to crumble and close off from the world. "How do we do it?"

He stood. "I think the Tetsusaiga is the key."

"Okay but we do this in the backyard, not in my house."

It was night and the moon rode high in the sky bathing them in her light. Kagome sat in a lawn chair watching Inuyasha examine the Tetsusaiga. Her head was disappointingly clear. She longed for a glass of wine but did not want to listen to Inuyasha's wrath.

The Tetsusaiga recognized its owner and warmed to his touch. Inuyasha spun around the yard brandishing the ridiculously huge, phallic sword. At first he tried waving it at her but this accomplished nothing and she'd retreated to her comfy lawn chair.

_I wonder what he expects of me. The jewel might be inside me. Does he intend to cut it out? Considering how often he has saved me that seems unlikely. _

"Kagome, come here."

* * *


	7. Seven

Seven

She crossed the lawn and stood before him.

"Give me your hand." He held out his hand to her. She held out hers.

He took it and turned it palm side up then leaned over it and gave her a quick sharp nip. "Ouch! You could have warned me!"

"You're right, I should have." It was half an apology and probably the best he would give. She supposed his fangs were safer than the blade of his sword and let it go.

He placed her bloody palm on his forehead.

"I think if you truly wish for me to be human and the jewel is inside you, it might work."

_I don't know what I wish for you Inuyasha but it isn't your death._

"If you get your way… are you going to kill yourself?"

He made a funny face. "You really thought… No! I will just be mortal. No more magic."

"Oh. Okay then." She closed her eyes and put her other hand against his warm face. _All these years I've dreamed of touching you like this…_

The wind rushed past them and his silver hair rose up around them in a cloud. Kagome's shoulder length hair moved around her face. Her hands moved over his face, exploring his features as a blind woman would do. She touched his closed eyelids and smoothed his brow. She ran her fingers through his hair and over his ears. They were soft and wonderful, just as she remembered them. _Please, Shikon grant me this one thing and make him…Human._

Inuyasha went to his knees and she fell with him holding him, protecting him in the fragile embrace of her skinny arms.

Tears burned in her eyes and she pressed his face into her chest. They held each other for long while. Then he stood and helped her to her feet. He was unchanged and his expression was unreadable.

He lifted her bloodied palm to his lips and gave it a chaste kiss. Then turned and went inside the dark house.

Kagome stood and watched the moon before following Inuyasha. She retrieved the abandoned Tetsusaiga and brought it back inside with her.

She found the guestroom door shut and the light out. She shrugged and went to her own bed. _Shit! I have our last class tomorrow and still have half the exams to grade._

* * *

Kagome woke in her bed beside a pile of graded papers. She glanced at the bedside clock and was relived to see she wasn't running late. _Today I will pass back the tests and issue the final grade. I will make it fast and be back here before noon. Thank God I don't have a summer class to teach…last month I was so pissed when they overlooked me but now it's a relief._

She climbed into the shower and reveled in the hot spray on her back. She held her palm to her face and studied the shallow bite. It was healing quickly. _Good. Inuyasha will be glad to see that._

She wrapped her hair in a towel and threw on a nice brown skirt and a blouse suitable for class. She slipped on her gold hoop earrings as she walked down the hall and paused in front of the guest bedroom. The door was open and the room was empty. The bed was mussed. _He must have had some sleep at least. _

In the kitchen, she found a warm teapot full of green tea but there was no Inuyasha. She checked the backyard and it was empty. She didn't bother with the roof; somehow she knew it he wasn't there either.

_Oh well, the only thing to do is leave a note and hope he comes back from where ever he's gotten to._

* * *

Class was boring and uneventful. Her students accepted their grades and left. _They should be grateful. In my exhaustion I was over generous with the grades._

She was in her office when a soft knock came at the door. "Come in."

Kim, her assistant poked her red head around the open door.

"Happy summer vacation girlfriend!" She did a quick dance. "We are so going to party! You must come to my beach house."

Kagome smiled at her enthusiasm. "Sure, sounds great!"

Kim paused in mid dance step. "Wait! Do my ears deceive me? Did the great and powerful Dr. Higurashi just agree to party with me?" She sat on Kagome's desk.

"Maybe."

"Wow. Okay it is serious then. Tell me all about him." She leaned forward as she spoke.

Kagome laughed and sat down her pen. "Tell you about who?"

"You damn well know who. The mysterious Japanese babe Big Mouth Cagle spotted you with at Piggly Wiggly."

"Cagle talks too much for his own good. I should've let him at him…." She muttered.

Kim squealed and pounded her fists on the desk. "So it is all true then. Kagome is banging a silver haired Guns N Roses freak!"

"Kim how is it you are so eloquently spoken in class, if our students could hear you now…"

"Girl it's all about perception. Now tell me about Inuyasha!"

Kagome sighed. "He is a childhood friend who doesn't speak English…yet. But I fear for us all once he picks up on the language."

"Ouch! So he is all attitude then?" Kim snickered. "Cagle was spot on."

"He is a houseguest for right now and nothing more."

Kim looked into Kagome's eyes. "But of course you want so much more, and why shouldn't you? Sometime in history our Kagome has to get her Inuyasha. That is who he is named after right?" Kim put her fingers above her head and wiggled them to indicate ears.

"Yes but lets keep that to ourselves."

"Awww…this is so Romeo and Juliet with chop sticks, cept Romeo first tried to kill Julie and then dumped her for some dead chick."

Kagome winced at the base retelling of her story. _Well Kikyo was the dead Juliet and I was the village idiot…_

"That about sums it up."

"So, is he an old flame?"

"Sort of, I used to have this huge crush on him but then we haven't seen each other in thirteen years."

"So he had a girlfriend?"

"Something like that."

"How bout now?"

"No she's deceased."

Kim frowned then gave a quiet smile. "So you do have some pain in common then. This could be good for you."

"I don't know. I thought so at first but now I am not sure what he wants."

Kim lifted her head to meet Kagome's gaze. "It will work out. Just wait and see. It's fate! You'll have a passionate affair with him, make mad monkey love, have a passel of kids and still make it to my beach house this summer. And when you come don't forget to bring him with you!"

Kagome had the crazy thought: _I wonder how Inuyasha feels about sunscreen?_

* * *

She pulled up in front of the house and knew he wasn't there.

The empty old house loomed in front of her. She got out of the Jeep and unlocked the door. She looked up to the guest bedroom window and saw it was indeed as she left it. His red kimono was folded up in the sill. She left it there as a hint to Inuyasha that even though the doors were locked that window was open.

She found her note undisturbed on the table next to an unopened package of ramen. Her chest became heavy and she trudged into the living room and sat on the arm of her overstuffed couch.

_Was he really gone? Would he leave behind his Tetsusaiga and kimono? _She pictured him wandering around the streets of Charleston penniless and still wearing the worn black Guns N Roses shirt. _He doesn't even speak English! What could he be doing? I hope he isn't in jail. _The thought of calling the courthouse to see if a man with white dog ears had been picked up didn't appeal to her.

Kagome went to the guest room in search of something, some clue as to where he went or at least what he was feeling or thinking. The first thing to catch her eye was the pair of abandoned flip flops by the bedroom door. Where ever he was Inuyasha was barefoot.

He'd slept on top of the bedcovers instead of under them and she could see the impression of his body on the comforter. A white strand of his hair lay on the pillow and Kagome carefully picked it up. The kimono remained neatly folded on the window sill and there was a comb on the dresser. She found a few more strands of his hair in the comb. There was nothing else. But then what had she expected to find? _A journal or even a note? Don't be ridiculous! Ugh. Well he is a definitely a man, there is the towel he used yesterday in a pile on the floor. _

Kagome hovered in the doorway then decided. _To hell with this and to hell with you!_ She took the towel and tossed it into the laundry hamper then headed back downstairs into the kitchen.

She poured a glass of wine and started on her second vice. Chocolate. _How long has it been since I baked anything? Not since Hojo…_

She pulled out her cookbook and began gathering the ingredients for killer double chocolate cake. Sometime in the process Kagome turned on the stereo and blasted Josh Groban throughout the house. She wrapped her soul in his beautiful music and lost herself in mixing the cake batter.

* * *


	8. Eight

Eight

Two hours and three of Josh's CDs later she was engrossed in icing her two layer masterpiece. _This was oddly satisfying. Maybe I should give up academia and start a catering business._

In the middle of "Remember When It Rained, she heard the front door shut. She pushed down the urge to meet him and concentrated on the cake. _Let him come to you and whatever you do, don't cry this time!_

Kagome's back was facing the kitchen door but she heard the sound of his bare feet behind her in the dining room.

"Kagome?" he asked softly.

"Yes Inuyasha." She smoothed another helping of icing across the bare top of the cake.

"I had to be alone for a while."

"Went for an early morning walk?" She licked icing from the tip of her thumb while trying to keep the bandage on her hand clean.

"I needed to pray, for guidance."

_Pray? Who knew he even knew what the word meant. It's another difference between the child and the man._

"Prayer is good."

"Miroku taught me prayer and meditation before he left." _He had the patience for mediation?_

"Ahh" she nodded.

"Smells good in here" she heard him sniff the air.

"Chocolate cake, I made it."

"I've never seen a cake quiet like that before."

She felt the hair on the back of her neck bristle and knew he was right behind her.

"Kagome, I've hurt you and I'm…sorry." He whispered.

She sighed and closed her eyes. "Yes but it couldn't be helped. If that's how you really feel than you were right to tell me."

His hand snaked over her shoulder and plunged a finger into the sweet chocolate icing. She swatted it away.

"Inuyasha! If you eat the icing then there won't be any for the cake." _He'll be scrubbing icing out from under those claws for sure…_

She blinked. His fingers were long, thin with blunt nails. The claws were gone. Her eyes flew to the kitchen clock that bore the date, time and cycles of the moon. The moon was still full. That means...

"It worked! You really are human!" She spun around and found a man with long dark hair that hung to his ass and slightly oversized ears standing behind her. His eyes were big, black and human. Kagome squealed and threw her arms around him smearing icing on the old t-shirt.

"Kagome, you did this, for me. I can finally rest." He spoke as he wrapped his arms around her. "There are no words of thanks that are big enough." He pressed his cheek to hers and scratched her skin with the beginning stubble of a beard. She pushed him away so she could study him and noticed his pale face was red from the sun.

She broke her promise to herself and cried. "I am so happy for you." She rubbed her hands on her sides. "Guess the old Shikon no Tama still has the mojo!"

"Today is the first day I walked amongst people and there were no insults or fear. A couple of girls followed me around until they realized I don't speak their language."

Kagome frowned then stopped herself. "Now you have the chance for a real life. A family even."

Inuyasha stood there studying her with his new dark eyes.

"I'll find a way to buy you an identity and teach you English. You can even go home to Japan."

He dropped his arms from her shoulders and stepped back. "That is what I mediated on. Kagome can I stay… here with you?"

_Why? So I can watch you live, love and be happy. I can be on the outside looking in. _

_Again. _

She washed her hands at the sink and dried them on a kitchen towel. She stood looking at him unconsciously wringing the towel in her hands. _I am a fool but I cannot live without knowing this man. Even if I am not to be the woman he loves I must still see him._ Her mind flashed back to a time he'd chosen the dead Kikyo over her but she'd asked if she could still stay with him. The thought of not being by his side destroyed her. Miroku and Sango did not understand how she could forgive him such a betrayal but it didn't matter. _Inuyasha you are my opiate, my drug, my wine flowing in my very blood and soul... How can it ever be any different? _She heard her heart beat then thought.

_I am worse than those women I've seen on daytime talk shows._

"Yes Inuyasha. You may stay." She turned away from him and placed the towel on the counter. _Stupid, stupid woman._

Inuyasha put his hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him. He then fell to his knees in front of her. He held her hands and pressed his face into them.

"Lady Kagome I beg your forgiveness for all these years. I give my life to you. Will you have me as your husband?"

Kagome stood frozen, unable to speak. Then tears burst free and flowed down her face. She threw her arms around him and fell to the floor with him. She heard Kikyo trot over and felt her cold nose press into her arm. She pushed the dog away and hugged Inuyasha.

"So that's a yes then?" She could hear his smile in his voice.

Kagome's nose began to run and she wiped at it with her arm. "Of course."

"Good." He leaned against the cabinets and grinned. "Because I'm ready to try that strange cake you made me."

She punched him lightly in the arm. "I made the cake for me. But… I could be convinced to share."

"Oh really?" Inuyasha's human face took on a mischievous youki slant.

_You know the old saying…you can take the demon out of the man but…_

He bent his head down and kissed her. It was a different kiss than the one they shared in the castle. This was not a kiss of buttons. It was a man claiming his love.

Kagome cried for the joy of it as he moved his lips across hers and she opened her mouth letting him in. He responded by pulling her into his lap and running his hands down her sides and lightly skimming his fingers over her breasts. After that the cake was temporarily forgotten.

Epilogue

Hours later they ate the cake in the nude and laughed as a very confused Kiki danced around them. Kagome felt no guilt when she thought of Hojo because she knew he'd wanted her to be happy. Hadn't the note the Tetsusaiga came with even said so?

That summer they spent a week with Kim at her Hilton Head beach house. Inuyasha refused to cut his hair and experienced his first sunburn.

Inuyasha still marveled at the foreign landscape but grew to love South Carolina as Kagome did. Eventually they answered the call of exotic lands and she returned to archaeology, her third love. Kiki was secure in the knowledge she was Kagome's fourth love.

There were still challenges. After all nothing worth having is ever easy. For example, Inuyasha's first visit to the dentist was a day that will not soon be forgotten by any who were present.

Kagome was never convinced Inuyasha possessed the patience required to be an archaeologist. But he was always an outstanding guest speaker in her classroom. He brought the feudal era of Japan to life for hundreds of undergrads and as a result the papers Kagome was forced to grade grew in quality and quantity as her class size continued to expand. They could have sold tickets the days he came wearing his red kimono and brandishing the forever broken and battered Tetsusaiga.

Class size wasn't the only thing expanding and soon Kagome gave Inuyasha a gift even greater than his humanity. A son. He was brought across the globe to be blessed in the Higurashi family shrine and dedicated to their family guardian the great hanyou Inuyasha who seeks the Shikon no Tama. All their friends were at a loss to explain the boy's silver white hair and golden eyes. The boy Inu, born over five hundred years after his father, grew up with a dual citizenship in the United States and Japan. The boy was his father's greatest joy and Kagome was his father's only love.

* * *

Notes:

**Update: **There are two more completed stories in this series. The Hanyou Hits the Frying Pan and Hanyou on a Hot Plate.

This is of course of fan fiction based on Rumiko Takahashi's Inuyasha. I have no claim to any of these characters, except for Kiki…she's all mine.

This was my first fan fic and offering to this site. The anime Inuyasha captivated me and when I discovered the story has no ending I had to make my own. Doesn't everyone watch the show because all we really want to do is to grab those ears!

This story is based in Charleston South Carolina of the good ole USA and all the places mentioned are very real. I encourage you to go there and explore. I originally wanted to base this in Tokyo but I've never been to Tokyo and was unable to do the city justice.

Josh Groban is an amazing artist and I hope he isn't displeased should he ever see his name here.

Poogan's Porch really does have a ghost and also a website. Go check it out and you will learn why Kagome loves to eat there. I included it because Poogan's is a local landmark. It's named after a dog and is haunted by a dead woman. What better place for Kagome to ponder her Inuyasha?

Piggly Wiggly is an actual grocery store. Yes really. Before you laugh just consider this. In Pennsylvania there is a convenience store with the name Wa-Wa. A bit of trivia; Piggly Wiggly is the oldest form of the modern self serve grocery store in the US.

Yadkin Valley is the famous wine region of North Carolina.

I know I spelled Wallmart wrong but who wants to risk the wrath of the Waltons?

And yes Golden Retrievers are great pets and lousy guard dogs.

Where I got the idea for this fanfic:

'Peter and Wendy' is a play and an actual book. I can't be the only person who noticed the similarities between these two stories. Isn't Inuyasha really a half bred Japanese Peter Pan forced to choose between his Tinker Belle, Wendy and adulthood? Because when you come right down to it he can't have Kikyo or Kagome. The quest cannot end until he realizes he has to lose everything in order to win. Just like Pan took Captain Hook's hand, Inuyasha took Sesshoumaru's arm. Sesshoumaru never kills Inuyasha even though he has ample opportunity as Hook with Pan.

Peter takes Wendy because he misses his mother. Inuyasha is older but Kagome still mothers him. Tinker Bell was his "mother figure" until Wendy arrived and intends to make her pay for usurping her position. But Tinker cannot allow Peter to grow up and that is the betrayal. Peter cannot have Tinker and the reason is obvious. Kikyo is dead. She walks talks and gives kisses but she has no claim on our living hero. Kikyo is magic, she is death which is what happens when you cease to age. Kikyo only wishes to die and pull Inuyasha into death with her.

Kagome is the silly Wendy who stays when an adult woman would leave. Hojo and Miroku are symbols of adulthood and Sango is loss. She is what Inuyasha will be if he chooses to win and grows up. Shippo is as lost boy complete with a bag of tricks. Jaken is Smee or Smithee who is Hook's groveling right hand man. Naraku is time and the greatest enemy of all who avoid growing up. That is why he is evil, perverted and changes shape with will. Because Miroku is an adult time is not on his side and will swallow him whole if he isn't careful. To defeat Naraku is to banish the hole in his hand which is really only time.

I thought on this and realized it only stands to reason that if the adult Wendy spent her life looking around every corner for the boy who could fly that it's a safe assumption Kagome would do the same.

So this is what happens to people who stay up late watching anime cartoons. They think too much and write stuff like this. In short I hope you liked my story. I welcome any feed back ya'll have to give.

* * *


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